Binder.



PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

J. L. MoMILLAN.

BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED 0017.13, 1904.

, Inventor NITED ST TES JOHN L. MoMILLAN, OF SYRACUSE, NEWV YORK.

Patented July 11, 1905.

BINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,536, dated uly 11, 1905.

Application filed October 13, 1904. Serial No- 228,343.

To all 1071,0711, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN L. MOMILLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Binders, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to improvements in binders, the construction and advantages of which will be hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the annexed drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the binder, the outer cover being partially broken away; Fig. 2, a transverse sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a similar view, the rings or retaining fingers being shown as separated or spread apart; Fig. 4, a like view,-the fingers being shown as closed in full lines and open in dotted lines; Fig. 5, a longitudinal sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1 Fig. 6, a perspective view of a modification of the invention.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and efficient binder in which the leaves or sheets may be readily in-' troduced or removed as desired, and which as a whole will have the general appearance of a book.

Referring to the drawings, A A denote the covers, and B the back, all of which are constructed in any approved manner. The back in the construction illustrated is pro-' vided with a stiffening-plate C, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in the other figures,) to which is secured a troughshaped supporting plate or member D. Fingers E, one at each end of the trough-shaped supporting-plate, are passed down through the stiffeninglate C and clenched under the same, as best s llown in Fig. 5. These fingers E will preferably be cut out of the metal which forms the supporting-plate D, though any other means for securing said member in place may be employed. The supportingplate is formed out of spring metal and the upper edges are bent over and engage rods or wires F, one upon each side, which extend throughout the length of said supportingplate. These rods form the pivots for the rings or fingers G. Each of said fingers is preferably semicircular in shape, so that two oppositely-disposed members when brought together form a complete ring.

A rod or bar H extends throughout the length of the trough shaped supportingplate and passes through the adjacent inner ends of the ring sections or fingers, the rod likewise passing through upstanding guides I, which are struck up out of the bottom of the trough-shaped member, as bestindicated in Figs. 1 and 5. As will be readily appreciated, the bar H, working in a slot formed in the upstanding guides, causes the ringshaped members to separate equally, said guides serving to limit the upward movement of the bar, and consequently the spreading of the rings or fingers when they are opened out as shown in Fig. 3. The inner ends of the fingers or rings form, in effect, a toggle-joint, with the rods F F and the bar H as the pivotal points.

With the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 2 the spring action of the side portions of the supporting-plate D serves to throw the ends of the retaining-rings together, while when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 3that is to say, when the bar H is moved upwardly above a line which would pass through the rods F F-the spring action of the side members tends to open or separate the rings or fingers and to hold them in such position until they are again moved in to a point where the bar H passes beneath an imaginary line drawn through the rods'F F. In other words, the spring action of the trough-shaped supporting-plate tends to hold .the rings closed or hold them open, according as the bar H stands above or below a plane or line passing through the rods F F. To open the rings, they may be grasped and spread apart, or both thumbs may be placed on the paper, which is held firmly while the book is spread open.

The joints of the rings are so made as to present a neat finish and to avoid liability of tearing or mutilating the leaves as they are turned from one side to the other.

It is evident that the upstanding guides may be formed in any manner other than that herein shown, and it is also apparent that the device may be used Without them, though their presence is preferable, inasmuch as it insures an even action of all the parts and prevents too great a separation of the outer or free ends of the retaining rings or fingers.

In Fig. 6 a substitute for the upstanding guides is shown. It comprises a convex plate K, the edges of Which underlie the inturned edges of the trough-shaped member. The plate serves to limit the upward movement of bar H and likewise covers the same. A plate will preferably be placed intermediate each pair of retaining fingers or rings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a binder, the combination of a supporting-plate having upstanding sides formed of spring metal; and a pair of retaining-fingers pivoted upon the opposite sides of said plate, the inner ends of said retaining-fingers being pivotally connected, and the point of pivotal connection between said fingers lying in a plane below the points of attachment of said fingers to the supporting-plate, substantially as described.

2, In a binder, the combination of a supporting-plate having upstanding sides formed of spring metal; a series of retaining fingers or rings pivotally mounted upon the opposite sides of said member; and a bar or rod extending through the adjacent inner ends of said fingers or rings and normally lying in a plane below the points of pivotal attachment of said fingers to the supporting-plate, substantially as described.

3. Inabinder, the combination of a troughshaped supporting-plate formed of spring metal; a rod or wire extending throughout the length of the upper edge of each side of said supporting-plate; retaining-fingers mounted upon said rods; and a rod connecting the adjacent ends of said fingers and normally lying Within the trough-shaped memher.

4. In a binder, the combinationof atroughshaped supporting-plate formed of spring metal; a series of fingers, said fingers being oppositely disposed in pairs throughout the length of said supporting-plate; a rod extending throughout the length of each side of said supporting-plate and forming pivotal points for the fingers; a third rod extending through the adjacent inner ends of the fingers and normally lying within the trough when the fingers are brought together; and means to limit the upward movement of said rod when the fingers are separated.

5. In a binder, the combination of atroughshaped supporting member formed of spring metal; a series of fingers oppositely disposed in pairs throughout the length of said troughshaped member; a rod or wire mounted at the upper edge of each side of the troughshaped member and forming pivotal points for the fingers, a third rod extending through the inner adjacent ends of the fingers and normally lying Within the trough-shaped member When the fingers are brought together; and a plate overlying the third rod, said plate serving to limit the upward movement thereof.

6. In a binder, the combination of a back and covers secured thereto; a trough-shaped supporting member secured to said back, said member being formed of spring metal; rods or wires mounted at the upper edges of said trough-shaped member; a series of rings or fingers mounted upon said rods, the inner ends of said fingers lying within the troughshaped member; a bar or rod passing through said inner ends; and a convex plate extending across from side to side of said troughshaped member.

7. In a binder, the combination of a series of oppositely-disposed pivoted fingers; a toggle connection between the lower ends of each pair of said fingers; and a spring-support for the outer pivotal points of the toggles, substantially as described.

8. In a binder, the combination of a series of oppositely disposed pivoted fingers; a spring-support therefor; and a toggle connection between the fingers, said toggle lying Within the spring-support and being normally broken when the upper ends of the fingers are either separated or closed together, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN L. MOMILLAN.

Witnesses:

BASIL, B. AYLEswoRTH, E. MORAN. 

